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Featured · Deals
Paradigm Ties Up With Reign Maker Group to Plug Into the Creator Economy
A Big Three-adjacent agency just bolted on a creator-first holding company. The structure — partnership, not acquisition — is the more interesting story.
Maya Chen · October 29, 2025 · 5 min read
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December 23, 2025
Market · 8 min read
2025: The Year the Creator Economy Became the Creator Industry
Looking back at 12 months of platform wars, mega-deals, and the dealmakers who shaped them. The Ankler's year-end recap captures what changed — and what didn't.
November 25, 2025
Market · 4 min read
Three Top CAA Film Agents Defect to WME. The Big Three Reshuffle Continues.
Schweitzer, Martin, and Astbury are leaving CAA for WME. Pre-Thanksgiving agent moves are routine — but the cumulative pattern this year is not.
September 15, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
Alix Earle Reclaims 'Hot Mess' From Unwell — Podcast IP Ownership Is Now a Talent Issue
Earle's exit from Alex Cooper's Unwell network and her recovery of the show rights is a case study in why creators should never give up the IP at deal one.
August 27, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
UnderCurrent Talent Buys Project15 — Boutique Roll-Ups Are the New Mid-Market Move
UnderCurrent's roster crossed 250 creators with the Project15 deal. The boutique-eats-boutique pattern is the most underdiscussed M&A trend of 2025.
July 10, 2025
Counsel · 7 min read
SAG-AFTRA's Video Game Deal Sets the AI Floor — Here's What's in It
After an 11-month strike, performers ratified a new Interactive Media Agreement with explicit GenAI protections. Talent counsel outside gaming should read it carefully.
June 23, 2025
Signal · 6 min read
Prime Hydration's UK Revenue Falls 70%. The Hype Cycle Has a Floor.
KSI and Logan Paul's energy drink went from £112M to £33M in UK sales in a single year. A teardown of what went wrong — and what every creator brand should learn.
May 19, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
PepsiCo Closes $1.95B poppi Acquisition. Creator-Built CPG Just Cleared a New Comp.
PepsiCo completed its acquisition of poppi for $1.95 billion (net ~$1.65B after tax benefits). The deal sets a fresh price reference for every social-led functional beverage on the market.
May 16, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
Whalar Group Hits a $400M Valuation With Benioff and Shopify on the Cap Table
The creator-economy holding company just took strategic checks from Marc Benioff, Shopify, and producer Neal H. Moritz. The investor mix matters more than the number.
May 12, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
Prime Video Renews 'Beast Games' for Two More Seasons. Here's What the Deal Tells Us.
Amazon's MrBeast bet became its most-watched unscripted show ever. The renewal — announced at upfronts — sets the template for the next wave of creator-to-streamer pacts.
April 21, 2025
Deals · 5 min read
Hershey's Buys Sour Strips for $75M — A Creator-CPG Exit Playbook
Fitness creator Maxx Chewning sold his sour candy brand to Hershey's. The valuation, structure, and slow-build path are the model creator counsel should be studying.
April 8, 2025
Signal · 4 min read
CAA Hires Jacob Selzer to Bolster Its Creators Division
Selzer joins from NBCUniversal and Almost Friday Media. CAA continues to staff up its creator practice — a quiet but consistent build.
March 10, 2025
Market · 6 min read
MrBeast Now Makes More From Feastables Than From YouTube. That's the Whole Thesis.
Bloomberg reported that Donaldson's chocolate brand outearns his YouTube channel. It's the clearest proof yet that creator businesses graduate out of the platform.
February 4, 2025
Deals · 4 min read
Rhett & Link Move Mythical to CAA After 18 Months at WME
Good Mythical Morning is closing in on 3,000 episodes. The pair's signing — alongside their studio — is exactly what creator-as-business representation looks like.
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